ROTATION 385 



tributed rainfall with a longer growing season and mild winters. 

 The unusual facilities for growing a money and a soil renovating 

 crop during the same season give this section decided advantages 

 over the corn belt. Winter cover crops on rolling land for prevent- 

 ing erosion, as well as green manure crops for increasing the scanty 

 supply of organic matter, should be grown more extensively. 



The principal money crop is cotton, yet a great many special 

 crops are grown in different states. Mixed farming predominates 

 in many places. In Kentucky, Tennessee, and Oklahoma livestock 

 farming prevails, with the growing of grains next in importance. In 

 Texas and Arkansas livestock is first, with cotton production second. 

 Cotton is the leading crop in Alabama, Mississippi, Georgia, South 

 Carolina, and Louisiana. In the latter, sugar cane is next in im- 

 portance. This is also grown in Xorth and South Carolina. 

 Tobacco is grown extensively in Maryland, Virginia, Kentucky and 

 Xorth Carolina. Truck crops and fruits are extensively grown in 

 Florida and near the Gulf in other states. Corn, rice, wheat, oats, 

 kafir corn, milo maize, rye and buckwheat are grown in different 

 parts of the region. 



The forage crops are varied and comprise alfalfa, cowpeas, soy- 

 beans, red, alsike, crimson, Japan, and sweet clovers, vetches, 

 timothy, blue, Johnson, brome, and Bermuda grasses, and millet. 

 Peanuts, hemp, Irish and sweet potatoes are special crops in some 

 sections. 



This shows the large number of crops that are grown in this belt 

 and the great opportunity for rotation. Much of the soil is acid 

 and deficient in organic matter and nitrogen, and the rotation 

 should be planned to maintain or increase the nitrogen rather than 

 attempt to supply it from commercial fertilixers. legumes must 

 be grown that are not affected by acid unless limestone or lime has 

 been applied to the soil. Japan clover, cowpeas, and soybeans fill 

 these conditions, since they do very well on acid soils. 



The cotton belt includes a very extensive area, large numbers 

 of widely different soils, and considerable variation in altitude. 

 These tend to give variety to the crops grown. The rotation for this 

 belt, should have one or more money crops, such as potatoes, cotton, 

 tobacco, sugar cane, wheat, rice, one or more for feed and a crop 

 for soil improvement. A very good rotation is (1) corn (cowpeas). 

 ('.?) winter oats (cowpeas), (3) cotton (plover). 



Where tobacco is grown, the following may be practiced: (1) 

 tobacco, (2) whoat (clover), and ('?) clover: or (1) corn (cowpeas), 

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